Dispensing cabinet



Aug. i7, i948. c. c. coA'rEs DISPENSING CABINET Filed March 24, 1947 xiv' minls Patented ug. 17, 1948 UNITED STATES TENT OFFHCE 3 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a dispensing cabinet and more particularly a cabinet for dispensing small articles such as toothpicks and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a cabinet for dispensing articles of the above type wherein a slide for lifting articles from a stack is so constructed and dimensioned that it will with accuracy lift one article at a time and discharge the same through a slot in the cabinet onto a receiving bracket therefor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cabinet of the above type with a hopper for the articles to be dispensed which is so constructed that a group of articles will rest against the dispensing slide and wherein said dispensing slide is provided with a slot dimensioned so as to receive one article at a time and wherein said slot is of a length equal to or greater than the distance between the side walls of the hopper so as to insure the alignment of the articles with the slot.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cabinet of the above type wherein the front wall of the hopper is spaced away from the dispensing slide and wherein the bottom wall of the hopper extends all the way to the slide so that the articles resting on the bottom of the hopper will also rest against the slide and the slide is free to lift one article at a time without jamming other articles against the front wall of the hopper.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of a dispensing cabinet embodying the improvements;

Figure 2 is a sectional View on the line 2 2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view, viewed from the rear, of the dispensing slide.

The improved cabinet is preferably made of a thermoplastic material which is transparent. However, other materials may be used in the construction of the dispensing cabinet. The cabinet includes a front wall I, a rear wall 2 and side walls 3, 3. These four walls are secured together in any suitable way and when thermoplastic material is used, preferably by a suitable adhesive. The walls forming the cabinet are carried by a bottom or base member 3 which is slightly larger in dimensions than the side walls and is provided with an upstanding flange 4 which receives the front, rear and side walls of the cabinet. The top or cover member 5 is also of slightly larger dimensions than the cabinet and is provided with a depending flange 6 extending all the way around the cabinet and loosely contacting with the side walls so that the cover may be removed for loading the cabinet with the articles to be dispensed. The front wall I of the cabinet is provided with a dispensing slot i. The bottom wall of the slot inclines downwardly and outwardly so that an article placed in the slot will readily roll outwardly and be discharged from the slot.

Attached to the cabinet is a receiver 8 for the articles to be dispensed. This receiver is cut away as indicated at 9 to facilitate the lifting of the articles from the receiver. Disposed within the cabinet and contacting the inner face thereof is a dispensing slide Ill which is provided with a slot II adjacent its upper end. The bottom wall of the slot I I inclines downwardly and outwardly so that when the slot is raised to the position shown in Figure 2, the inclined bottom wall of the slot II and the inclined bottom wall of the slot 'l in the front wall of the cabinet are in alignment and an article in the slot of the slide will readily roll out through the slot 'I on to the receiver 8.

Within the cabinet is a hopper for the articles to be dispensed. The hopper includes a bottom wall I2 which extends from the rear wall 2 of the cabinet to and terminating adjacent the slide Ill. This wall inclines downwardly from the rear to the front. The hopper also has side walls I3, I3 which are parallel with the side walls 3, 3 of the cabinet but spaced therefrom. These side walls I3 of the hopper terminate at the bottom wall I2 and they also terminate at the inner face of the slide Il) and serve as a guiding means for the slide which extends all the way from one side wall 3 of the cabinet to the other side wall thereof. There are strips I4, I4 disposed between the front edge portions of the sides I3, I3 of the hopper and the walls 3, 3 of the cabinet. These strips also serve as a guiding means for the slide. Extending from one side wall I3 to the other of the hopper is a front wall I5. This front wall is spaced well away from the slide Ill and it terminates a short distance above the bottom I2 of the hopper. The articles to be dispensed are placed in the hopper in rear of this front wall I5 and they will roll down the bottom wall and a small number of articles will pass beneath the front wall I5 and rest against the slide I0, as shown in Figure 2. There is a cover strip I6 extending from one side wall of the hopper to the other so as to insure that the articles when the cover is removed will be placed in the hopper and not loaded into the space between the front wall I and the slide I0. In other words, the articles which are to be dispensed flow from the hopper and in rear of the front wall I5 beneath the front wall into a position where they rest against the slide and are picked up one at a time by the slide and dispensed through the opening 1 on to the receiver 8. The dispensing slide extends all the way from one side wall 3 of the cabinet to the other.

The slot Il in the slide is of a length equal to the distance between th'e side walls I3, I3 of the hopper so that these side walls will line up the articles relative to the slot and insure an article falling into the slot when the slide is in its lowered position. This is a very important feature in the dispensing cabinet as it prevents the end of an article from contacting with the slide at the end of th'e slot so as not to enter the slot.

The side walls, as noted, extend beyond the front wall I5 and serve to line up and guide the articles into the slot. The slide is provided with projecting portions I7 whi-ch contact with a member carried by the side walls of the cabinet and limit the upward movement of the slide. These projections are so dimensioned that when the slide is in its upper position, as shown in Figure 2, the bottom wall of the slot in the slide will be in alignment with the bottom wall of the slot in the front wall of the cabinet. The slide is provi-ded with a laterally projecting bracket I8 having an arm I9 to which a spring 20 is attached. Th'ere is also 'a bracket 2| secured to the under face of the bottom wall I2 of the hopper and this bracket is Drovided with an arm 22 to which the spring 2Q is attached in any suitable way. The spring normally holds the slide in the raised position as shown in Figure 2. Also attached to the slide at the front thereof is a bracket 23 carrying a iinger piece 24. This bracket 23 extends outwardly through a slot 25 in the front wall of the cabinet.

When it is desired to dispense an article, the operator presses upon the nger piece 24 and moves the slide to its extreme lower position, which brings the bottom wall of the slot II into alignment with the upper side of the bottom wall of the hopper and therefore the lowermost article will roll into the slot in the dispensing slide. As the operator releases the finger piece the spring will raise the slide and carry the article in the slot thereof upward into alignment with the slot 'l so that it will roll through the slot on to the receiver 8.

It is noted that the front wall I5 of the hopper is spaced Well away from the slide and therefore there is no chance for the slide, when it begins its upward movement, jamming the articles against the lower edge of the front wall I5. If a second article is picked up with the slide, as soon as it is lifted from the mass it will roll back onto the mass. Furthermore, it is noted that this partition when spaced away from the slide and when it terminates only a short distance from the bottom will permit comparatively few articles to pass from beneath the wall I5 and rest against the slide. In other words, the number of articles bearing against the dispensing slide is practically the same, regardless of whether the hopper is partly filled or fully charged with articles.

By the arrangement above described, the articles, regardless of the number stored in the hopper, will rest lightly against the slide and this will insure accuracy in the picking up of one article at a time for delivery through the dispensing slot in the front of the cabinet.

It is obvious that many changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing cabinet for toothpicks and the like including a front wall, a rear Wall and side walls suitably secured together, said front Wall having a horizontal slot through which articles are dispensed, a dispensing slide movable up and down in contact with the inner face of the front wall and extending from one side Wall to the other, a hopper in said cabinet including a downwardly inclined bottom wall extending from the rear wall to the dispensing slide, and side walls spaced inwardly from the side walls of the cabinet and extending from the rear wall of the cabinet to the said slide and serving to guide said slide in its up and down movements, said hopper having a front Wall extending from one side wall of the hopper to the other and spaced inwardly from the slide, said front wall of the hopper terminating a short distance above the bottom wall, said ydispensing slide having a horizontal slot adjacent the upper end thereof, said slot being dimensicned so as to receive one article at a time and having a length at least equal to the distance between the side walls of the hopper whereby said side walls will align the articles lengthwise for entrance into the slot, and means to facilitate movement of said dispensing slide for dispensing one article at a time.

2. A dispensing cabinet for toothpicks and the like including a front wall, a rear wall and side walls suitably secured together, said front wall having a horizontal slot through which articles are dispensed, a dispensing slide movable up and down in contact with the inner face of the front wall and extending from one side wall to the other, a hopper in said cabinet including a downwardly inclined bottom wall extending from the rear wall to the dispensing slide, and side walls spaced inwardly from the side walls of the cabinet and extending from the rear wall of the cabinet to the slide and serving to guide said slide in its up and down movements, said hopper having a front wall extending from one side wall of the hopper to the other and spaced inwardly from the slide, said front wall of the hopper terminating a short distance above the bottom wall, said dispensing slide having a horizontal slot adjacent the upper end thereof, said slot dimen- Isioned so as to receive one article at a time and having a length at least equal to the distance between the side walls of the hopper whereby said side walls will align the articles lengthwise for entrance into the slot, spring means disposed within the cabinet for raising said slide, and means acces-sible from the exterior of the cabinet for lowering said slide to receive an article to be dispensed.

3. A dispensing cabinet for toothpicks and the like including a front wall, a rear wall and side walls suitably secured together, said front wall having a horizontal slot through which articles are dispensed, a dispensing slide movable up and down in contact with the inner face of the front wall and extending from one side wall to the other, a hopper in said cabinet including a downwardly inclined bottom Wall extending from the rear wall to the dispensing slide, and side Walls spaced inwardly from the side walls 0f the cabinet and extending from the rear wall of the cabinet to said slide and serving to guide said slide in its up and down movement-s, said hopper having a front wall extending from one side wall of the hopper to the other and spaced inwardly from the slide, said front wall of the hopper terminating a short distance above the bottom Wall, said dispensing slide having a horizontal slot adjacent the upper end thereof, said slot being dimensoned so as to receive one article at a time and having a length at least equal to the distance between the side Walls of the hopper Whereby said side walls will align the articles lengthwise for entrance into the slot, and means to facilitate movement of said dispensing slide for dispensing one article at a time, the bottom wall of the dispensing slot in the cabinet and the 6 bottom wall of the slot in the slide being inclined downwardly and outwardly, and means for limiting the upward movement of the dispensing slide so that said inclined :bottom walls will be substantially in alignment for discharging the article from the cabinet.

CECIL C. COATES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 641,759 Bluie et al Jan. 23, 1900 1,175,971 Miller et al Mar. 21, 1916 

